The invention is a cervical traction device used to administer traction to patients with various musculoskeletal disorders of the neck and upper back. The device of the present invention is designed to be utilized with a conventional traction table with the patient in the supine position, which is lying substantially horizontal on his back.
In the prior art there have been a substantial number of head halters or other devices for applying cervical traction through the head of the patient. One category of these halter devices, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,301,276 and 3,548,817, engages the jaw of the patient while surrounding the head. These type of halters not only inhibit the ability of the patient to eat or talk, but also cause aggravation of the temporomandibular (jaw) points, and from a traction point of view are also less desirable. Jaw-type head halters of this type are pulling from an axis offset from the spine and thereby apply an undesirable twisting moment (cervical extension) to the patient's head and neck contrary to most types of desired traction. In most traction situations, it is desirable to engage the head of the patient at the occiput area of the head rather than the chin so that the pulling axis is more in alignment with the spine and concentrates the force posteriorly where it is most beneficial.
Another type of prior art device for engaging the head is typified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,166,229 and 3,336,922. These types of cervical braces, which are referred to in the trade as "halo type" actually contact the patient's head with pointed screws which are forced inward through the skin to make contact with the bone of the skull. Aside from the obvious pain which a patient must endure by this type of brace, the potential for infection to the person's head at the points where the skin is broken is ever present.